Rhythmometeb



W. B. PARKINSON.

RHYTHNOMETER. I APPLICATION FILED rqov. a. 1915.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Z WITNESSES: INVENTOR J y 14/ L/AMB PflBH/NSOM 71 6 6,10% MW ATTORNEYS I r W /4M BPmH/Nswm W. B. PARKINSON.

RHYTHMOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6. $915.

1 1 95,077 Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FIE E A TTOH/VEYS- W. B. PARKINSON. BHYTHMOMETER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, I915,

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

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WITNESSES: [NI/EN TOR A TTOHWEYS WILLIAM B. PARKINSON, OF LE MARS, IOWA.

RHYTHMOMETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Application filed November 6, 1915. Serial No. 59,939.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLmM Brass PAR- KINSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Le Mars, in the county of Plymouth and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rhythmometers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for measuring rhythm and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a device by means of which the rhythm of a given example of musical notation may be indicated by means of the pawl and ratchet mechanism, the accent by a hell or other suitable sound producing device, while an indicator shows to the eye the visible results in musical notation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which double, triple, double-compound, or triple-compound measure may be demonstrated, and in which the downward stroke of the crank which drives the mechanism occurs at the same instant that the bell is used to give the audible accent.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described in which the number of beats or tal s given by the ratchet wheel may be varied, and in which the number of strokes of the bell to a revolution of the ratchet wheel may also be varied.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device. Fig. 2 is asection along the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the device. Fig. 4- is a section along the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail section along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the crank handle. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the bell, the pivoted arm which bears the same, and the means for adjusting the bell in various positions. Fig. 8 is a section along the line 8-8 of Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the teeth of an auxiliary ratchet wheel, and Fig. 10 is a detail side view, showing the arrangement of teeth on the ratchet wheel. k

In carrying out my invention I provide an exterior casing 1 of the shape shown in Fig. 1. This is provided with a cover 2 which is hinged at 3 and which may be thrown back to expose the interior mechanism.

Mounted within the casing on a shaft -1- is a wheel 5 (see Fig. Around the periphery of this wheel is a wire 6 which forms the pintle or hinge member for a series of hinged teeth 7. As will be seen from Figs. and 5, these teeth may be turned to either side of this pintle (3 so as to lie on one side of a plane through the pintle, or on the other. These teeth are designed. to rest in sockets or grooves 7, (see F 2) in order to hold them in place. The teeth may be crinkled to assist in holding them inv the slots or grooves of the wheel. As will be seen from Fig. 10, the circumference of the wheel 5 divided into fortyeight parts, and a tooth is located at each one of the fortyeight divisions. The wheel is then divided into eighteen parts and teeth are located at each of the eighteen divisions. Six of the teeth on the two sets are identical, that is to say, they are located at the same place, so instead of having sixty-six teeth, the wheel has sixty teeth.

Secured to the wheel 5 is a gear 8 having sixty teeth, while a ranged to mesh with this gear are the gears 9, 10, 11 and 12 on shafts 9 10 11*, and 12* respectively (see Fig. 4). The gear 9 is arranged to revolve twice in one revolution of the gear 8, while the gears 1.0, 11 and 12 make three, four and six revolutions respectively to one revolution of the gear 8.

The shafts 9 10 11*, and 12 are prolonged, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to receive a crank 13, which may be fitted to any one of the shafts mentioned. This crank has a bore 13 arranged to fit over the end of the shaft and is provided with an L-shaped slot 13 arranged to receive a pin 13 carried by the shaft, thereby locking the crank in position. 7

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 4, it will be seen that I have provided a pawl 1a which is arranged to slide in a portion of the frame shown at 15, and is provided with a knob 16 which extends through a slot 17, a set screw 18 being provided to hold the pawl 14: in its adjusted position. The end of this pawlis designed to engage the teeth 7 which are thrown over on the right hand side of the wheel 5 in Fig. 1, so that when the latter wheel is turned the teeth will raise the pawl which will thereupon fall back against the frame, making a tap or beat. The number of these beats will obviously depend upon the number of teeth which are thrown over into position to be engaged by the pawl.

On that portion of the wheel bearing the idle teeth is disposed a stop member 19 which may be engaged by a slidable stop member 20, having a knob 21 which projects through a slot 22 in the casing. The purpose of this stop member will be explained later. Secured to one face of the wheel 5 -is a series of cams 23, (see Fig. i). As will be seen from this figure, these cams are ar ranged in concentric circles and are for the purpose of operating a bell to mark the accent. The bell is shown at 24. It is mounted on an arm 25 (see Fig. 7) and is provided with a clapper 26 which is pivoted at 27. The end of the clapper is prolonged as shown at 26* and is designed to be engaged by the cams 23. A compression spring 28 is provided so that when the cams 23 clear the end of the clapper, the spring will cause the clapper to strike the bell. A regulating screw 25* is provided which may be adjusted to rebound the clapper from the bell as soon as the bell is struck. The arm 25 is pivoted at 29 (see Fig. et), and is provided with a lateral extension 25 to which is pivotally connected a segment 30 having teeth 31 arranged to engage a spring stop member 32 disposed in the wall of the casing 1.

On one side of the casing 1 is disposed a chart 33 on which the rhythmed example may be written both across the face or around the circumference, as shown at 33 and 33 respectively. This chart may be held in place by catches 34: (see Fig. 3). I

On the shaft 4 is disposed a wheel which is provided with teeth 36 of the shape shown in Fi 9. This wheel an auxiliary ratchet wheel which may be used in connection with the ratchet wheel on the interior of the device, as will be explained later. An adjustable pawl 37 (see Fig. 3) is arranged to engage the teeth of the ratchet 35.

On the end of the shaft 4 is disposed a pointer or hand 38 which turns with the shaft over the face of the chart 33.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The

casing 1 is provided with a clamping device 39 by means of which it may be secured to the edge of a table or other suitable support 40. Now when it is desired to operate the mechanism, the handle is applied to the shaft which will give the desired speed to the The requisite number of ratchet wheel.

teeth are then placed in position so as to be engaged by the pawl 14:. The bell. may be set to give the desired accent by moving the adjusting segment 30 inwardly or outwardly. As shown in Fig. 4, the bell is in a position where it will not sound. If moved to the adjacent concentric circle, it will. give one stroke to the revolution of the ratchet wheel, and if to the second one, two strokes; to the third, three; to the fourth, four, and to the fifth, six.

It will thus be seen that by the use of this device the number of beats or taps for marking the time may be varied at will, as well as the accent, and that the various measures, such as double, triple, double-compound, and triple-compound, are provided for.

lVhen the movable stop member 20 is pushed inwardly, the wheel will be stopped when the stop member 19 comes into engagement with it, (see Fig. 2). The object is to stop the machine at the end of the example and this is the proper place to begin making adj ustments for the next example. The different examples are printed or written on the charts which are supplied as needed in the manner described. The auxiliary ratchet wheel 35 may be used with the ratchet wheel 5 to produce two distinctive rhythms, or to strengthen the accents of the other, or either may be used alone by bringing the pawl of the other out of engagement.

I claim 2- 1. In a device for measuring rhythm, a pawl, a wheel having a plurality of independently movable teeth, each of said teeth being arranged to be moved in the path of the pawl,a plurality of cam members disposed on the face of the wheel, an adjustable sounding member, and means for adjusting the position of the sounding member to bring the latter into operative relation with a pre-determined number of cams.

2. In a device for measuring rhythm, a pawl, a ratchet wheel having a plurality of hinged teeth, each tooth being independently movable into and out of the path of the pawl, a gear secured. to said ratchet, and a plurality of driving gears of varying sizes arranged to mesh with said first mentioned gear, the shafts of said driving gears being prolonged, and a crank handle arranged to fit any of said prolonged shafts.

3. In a device for measuring rhythm, a pawl, a wheel having a plurality of independently movable teeth, each of said teeth being arranged to be moved into the path of the pawl, a plurality of sets of cam members disposed on the face of the wheel, a pivoted arm, a bell carried thereby, a clapper for said bell arranged to be engaged by said cams, and means for adjusting the position of the arm to bring the clapper into operative relation with a pre-determined set of cams.

4. In a device for measuring rhythm, a shaft, a ratchet wheel mounted thereon and having a plurality of teeth, each tooth being independently movable into and out of engagement with the pawl, a hand or pointer on the shaft oil? said ratchet wheel, and av chart disposed adjacent to the pointer for indicating the rhythm sounded by the passage of the pawl over the teeth of the ratchet wheel.

In a device for measuring rhythm, a casing, a pawl disposed within the casing, a ratchet wheel having a )lurality of teeth, each tooth being independently movable into or out of the path of the pawl, a crank handle for driving said ratchet wheel, and a plurality of sets of power transmitting devices for transmitting a given movement of the crank handle to the ratchet wheel so as to produce various speeds of the ratchet wheel.

(3. In a device for measuring rhythm, a rotatable wheel, a plurality of hinged ratchet teeth carried by said wheel and arranged for movement from one portion of the wheel to the other, a pawl adapted to engage said ratchet teeth, when on one portion oi the wheel, a fixed stop member carried by the wheel, and a slidable stop member arranged to engage the fixed stop member to stop the ratchet wheel in a predetermined position.

7. In a device for measuring rhythm, a pawl, a ratchet wheel having a plurality of teeth independently movable into and out of the path of the pawl, a gear secured to said ratchet wheel, a plurality of gears having a definite ratio to said first named gear and. adapted to mesh with the latter, each of said gears having a shaft, a crank handle arranged to fit on any of said last named shafts, and means for locking said crank handle to said shafts.

8, Inv a device for measuring rhythm, a pawl, a wheel having a plurality of inde- 4.5 pendently movable teeth, each of said teeth being arranged to be moved into the path of the pawl, a plurality of sets of cam members disposed on the face of the wheel, a pivoted arm, asound producing body carried thereby, means engaged by the cams for sounding said sound producing body, and means for adjusting the position of the arm to bring the sound producing body into operative relation with the predetermined set of cams.

9. In a device for measuring rhythm, a pawl, a shaft, a ratchet wheel mounted thereon, and having a plurality of teeth, each tooth being independently movable into and out of engagement with the pawl, an auxiliary ratchet wheel having a predetermined number ot stationary teeth, and a second pawl arranged to engage the teeth of said auxiliary ratchet wheel.

ILLIAM B. PARKINSON.

WVitnesses FRANK M. Rosnnnnnr, CLARENCE D. Rosiinmniy.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

